Recently, one of our own Courier staff members attempted to talk to College of DuPage President Robert Breuder about his upcoming retirement in March 2016. We say “attempted” because after exchanging pleasant conversation for a few minutes, our reporter was immediately shut down and faced with the dreaded “no comment” upon mentioning the buyout.

You may be thinking that this response is justified, and in theory, it is. To be fair, our reporter was interviewing Breuder for an article about the bookstore’s reopening. Breuder also has as much of a right to plead the fifth as the next person, and besides, haven’t we talked about the buyout enough already? The controversy surrounding this college has been the focus of countless articles, ranging from The Courier to suburban newspapers to the front page of the Chicago Tribune. Surely everyone has had more than their share of voice in the matter. That is, everyone but Breuder himself.

Students, faculty, community members and the press have all thoroughly discussed the buyout. Breuder hasn’t said a word. It’s possible that a team of advisers has told him to stay quiet, as every crime show lawyer does with their guilty client. He’s shutting up and staying away from the press as much as possible to keep from damaging his reputation any further. We get it. But he’s still a full year away from retirement. He has to speak up at some point, if only because there are issues that truly need to be addressed.

Perhaps Breuder is keeping quiet because he knows he doesn’t have answers anyway. What would he say, for instance, if asked what he regrets as president? Would he regret sending former Governor Pat Quinn a contentious email asking the state for $20 million dollars to build the proposed Teaching and Learning Center? Would he regret spending taxpayer money on expensive dinners with the board of trustees at the Waterleaf restaurant? And what would he say if asked about why our full-time faculty had completely no confidence in his abilities as a president? It certainly says something that the highest-paid community college faculty in the state feels so strongly against their school’s president. If asked any of these questions, could he admit to his flaws, or would he simply hide behind his pride?

By staying silent, it’s easy to infer the answer to that question. In which case, Breuder’s tactic of “shut up and sit down” is actually backfiring on him. At this point, it’s pretty clear that Breuder won’t be able to get himself out of hot water. He can, however, turn down the flame and own up to his actions, preferably by speaking to his college’s own student newspaper. We are biased in our own favor, but it truly does make sense. If he talks to anyone, it should be COD students.

Instead of turning us down for an interview, Breuder should welcome the idea of encouraging student journalists and showing his support and respect. March 11, would have been the perfect opportunity, had Pizza with the President not have been canceled. It seems almost too convenient that Breuder had yet another out to escape the issues that he has tactfully avoided for months, forcing us to accept silence as an answer. However, in the long run, Breuder is only hurting himself. He could have eased into talking to the press by starting on the college level, which would be a much better approach for him than diving head first into a massive press conference with almost every major publication in Chicago. Instead, he hides in his office and avoids his responsibility to the students. Breuder can’t ignore the reality of his situation forever, and when he finally realizes that, we will be here, waiting for the answers we deserve.